The purchaser, listed as Joseph Cella, bought 21 of the 22 available properties in the neighborhood for a mere $183,000. That same buyer successfully bid a total of about $335,000 for 29 properties throughout Detroit in the first round of the auction, which ends today.

Property Tracking website Why Don't We Own This? first noted the purchase, and Wayne County Deputy Treasurer David Szymanski confirmed the winning bids. Szymanski said the buyer has already begun paying the county for the properties.

Szymanksi said it was too soon to offer more specifics on the massive purchase.

“The person whose name is in as the bidder only represents the interest of the person in Canada who intends to invest in these properties,” Szymanski said. “What their exact plans are, I can’t say for certain.”

But Szymanksi said the indication is that the new landlord will be just that – a landlord rehabbing and renting out the properties while allowing them to gain value.

Joseph Cella responded to an e-mail seeking comment with the following statement: "I represent a Canadian-based private investment and development group which is purchasing property across the City of Detroit. There will be no further comment at this time."

Judging by what has been happening in Detroit real estate and development in the last few years, the Daniel Plainview-esque purchase seems like a fairly solid investment.

As of late, North Corktown has become a mix of long-time residents with deep Detroit heritage and youthful and sometimes-eclectic newcomers. The sparse area, home to multiple greenhouses and urban farming projects, is also a stone’s throw from the strip of Michigan Avenue where Slows Bar-BQ, the Mercury Bar and Astro Coffee attract patrons from near and far.